Eric's friend, Ed Douglas, was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Like Eric, Ed is a freelance writer with no health insurance. My two older kids, Lindsay (8) and Logan (6), are putting together a bake sale, the proceeds of which will go to help pay Ed's medical bills.

Some of you may recall that Lindsay did a bake sale two years ago to help some friends raise money to adopt some orphans from Ukraine. She has been anxious to do another bake sale since then (and Logan has been anxious to be more involved), and this cause seemed perfect to both of them.

We're looking for support in two ways:

1) Come to the bake sale and buy some yummy stuff.

2) Donate baked good to sell at the bake sale.

We were overwhelmed by the support you all showed our kids last time, and we're looking forward to having another great experience for them.

Two notes:

1) Beth and I will match the money that the kids raise through this bake sale, so please be generous and put us in the poor house.

2) I am going to get one of those little credit card swiper things for my iPad, so we will be able to take credit card payments at the bake sale.

And I will be there, and Eric and Jeff and Bethy and Lane and Kelly and Laura and Joy will be there, and Randy Tayler will be there, and you could see us! And all but one of my cute grandchildren! And there will be lots of good stuff to buy, because Bethy alone is planning 18 different items, so it's a perfect Cheat Day activity!

I would be thinking about See's Butterscotch Squares, and Glorious, Perfect Pumpkin Muffins. I would be also making those things, if I were geographically close enough to attend and donate baked goods. (And I do not use the term "good" lightly.)

What about us out-of-state people who also wish Ed well and would like to contribute? Is a straight donation allowed, or does it have to be tied up with eggs, flour, and sugar in some way?

Oh, they take donations! Jeff's Paypal is the easiest way. Are you putting that address on here, Jeff?

I'm actually kind of hoping Kelly will make the See's Butterscotch Squares, since they weren't completely delightful when I made them. I should probably mention that to her, though. Unmet expectations are the bane of unvoiced wishes.

Here's another paste from a comment I posted on the FB event page, because I am too lazy to type it out again:

Beth and I will be matching the money Lindsay and Logan raise with this bake sale. If you would like to donate to the cause but are unable to attend the bake sale, please donate in one of two ways:

1) You can PayPal me the money (snidog at jeffjsnider dot com -- don't miss the "j" between "jeff" and "snider" or else that jerk who won't sell me "jeffsnider.com" will get the money). Be sure to mark the donation as a gift, not a payment, so that PayPal doesn't take a cut.

2) You can donate directly at the "Give Forward" page Ed's friend set up. If you do this, please let me know that you did so I can count it towards the amount the kids raise for us to match. (But yeah, it's probably easier for me, accounting-wise, if you PayPal it to me.) https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/ ... dicalfunds

I love that you are able to help your kids learn how to serve in this way. I was sad because I wanted to donate but we don't have much left over in our budget, if any. But then I remembered I have a little bit in my Pay Pal account, so yay! Good luck with the bake sale!

That was really nice of you, Lisa! It was an amazing success all around. Beth worked awfully hard on it, baking at last count 18 different items in the four days leading up to it. She and Jeff and then the rest of us did a lot of word-spreading, passing out fliers and publishing it on websites and Twitter and Facebook and here, and the fact that they live in a culture with the spirit of giving helped immensely. The kids' school teachers came, and some school friends, and then friends of Jeff's and friends of Eric's and at least one couple who heard about it from a friend of Eric's. At last count they had collected over $1400, which is pretty amazing for a bake sale, even with Bethy's awesome baked goods and a few of mine, most of which didn't turn out too well.

Lots of friends donated items, and a cupcake shop and a donut shop donated leftovers. It's amazing what people will do if you ask them! And Ed called to talk to the kids that morning, which really brought it home for them. It was a great experience for me to see it all work.

We're at $1589.38 as of now. If any of you are still wanting to donate, please let me know. I'll be sending the money (with our match) over tomorrow. I can take credit cards, so you don't even need real money to donate.